It sure seems that way, for example, when you open a bag of potato chips -- there's a lot of empty space in there and a box of rice has a lot of air in it too.
It's illegal for companies to purposely inflate their packages, unless there is a good reason. Consumer reports studied this "spare air" packaging and say there "is" good reason.
"Don't worry we found in every instance manufacturers were delivering what they promised in terms of the contents so you are not being short changed," said Todd Mark from Consumer Reports.
In the case of potato chips, the air is needed as a cushion to prevent the chips from breaking. And Uncle Ben's says it no longer puffs up the rice so the contents look smaller but the weight is exactly the same as before.
